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Thursday, April 29, 2010

As you've probably seen in some of the party posts I've featured this month, you can really go crazy throwing your little one's birthday bash. From construction parties featuring real equipment to full on circus tents (you'll see that post tomorrow!), the sky's the limit these days. But sometimes, simple makes the biggest statement.

That's what I love about the beautiful fabric buntings from Blue Moon Studios. They may not be flashy but they pack a big punch.

They're double sided so you can display them anywhere and the fabric combinations are so fun! I can see this one hanging above a vintage tea party.

And how perfect would this set of flags be for a circus or carnival themed celebration?

There's even something for pirate lovers.

What I really adore about these buntings is the fact that they can be used long after the party has ended. You can hang them in a child's bedroom or playroom or pack them away until the next birthday comes along so you truly get some bang for your buck. There aren't too many party products out there you can say that about.

Blue Moon Studios will work with you to customize the perfect bunting for your bash and to enjoy long afterward. So in this case, the sky's the limit in a more economical and eco-friendly way!

And here's something else that will be good for someone's pocketbook. Blue Moon Studios has generously offered to give away any item in the store to a lucky AFOMFT reader! To enter, visit Blue Moon Studios and post a comment here telling me which item you'll choose if you win. For additional entries:

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Follow AFOMFT on Twitter (@AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway: It's PARTYPALOOZA @AFOMFT with a giveaway a day! Enter to win the product of your choice from Blue Moons Studios - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT

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Blog about AFOMFT, PARTY PALOOZA or this giveaway (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and post a link to the post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada and ends May 6th at 11:59 pm EST. The winner will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on May 7th. If the winner doesn't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

What kid isn't mesmerized by construction sites? The crazy equipment, the big piles of dirt, the huge trucks.... It's all something they'd love to explore but are almost never allowed to. And that's exactly why throwing a construction-themed birthday bash is so much fun! Don't believe me? Just take a look at these fabulous fetes.

First up is the amazing party Jessica of Juicy Bits threw for her son, Theo. The invitation from Tiny Prints established the color scheme (brown, orange and yellow) and theme from the start. I love the coordinating thank you notes and address labels!

The day of the party, a wooden sawhorse barricade in the driveway pointed guests to the celebration site.

Inside the house, balloons were anchored by traffic cones, and toy trucks, construction signs, nuts and bolts and food in tin buckets and bowls were displayed on the table.

And of course there were sweet treats, including cupcakes with construction-themed toppers....

And these terrific tool cookies Jessica made herself.

The deck, where the kids' table was located, was festooned with huge balloons anchored again by cones.

And each child's seat was designated by a personalized hard hat.

They were perfect for the crew to wear while playing in the sand table.

Other activities including coloring.

And a ride on this cool piece of equipment that a friend brought over as a surprise.

Guests left with goodie buckets that were displayed below this fantastic fabric banner Jessica made for the occasion.

The pails included a matchbox car, a sticker book and a construction puzzle.

Along with a dump truck cookie.

It's no wonder that Theo's birthday bash was one of the winners in the Most Adorable Kids Party of 2009 on Creative Hostess! For more pictures and design details, visit Juicy Bits.

Creative Hostess recently featured another amazing construction celebration thrown by Christina for her son, Austin's first birthday. She used the same invitations Jessica did and created matching signs to welcome guests.

The fun birthday banner from Earmark Gatherings featured pictures of the birthday boy's first year.

A huge dessert table included lots of yumminess, all in orange, yellow and brown.

And the cupcakes had toppers from Party Box Design, who designed a really fun logo for the bash.

Centerpieces were vases of flowers with construction hats and toy trucks.

Along with buckets of candy.

The construction crew played in a sand pit until the rain forced them inside.

But the goodie pails, topped with favor tags that matched the cupcake toppers, surely made up for it!

A different Austin, this one the son of Heidi from Blue Eyed Blessings, had a construction celebration of his very own. How cute are these invitations?

Cones and caution tape pointed arriving party goers in the right direction.

Toward the party area!

The food table was highlighted by a Yield sign.

And each worker got a "sack lunch."

Heidi decorated the cupcakes by dying the frosting green, crumbling up Oreos for the dirt and then adding cones and trees she got from a cheap toy construction set.

And outside, there were four activity stations - Creating, which featured Play Doh; Building, where kids could use foam blocks to construct whatever they desired:

Digging, where they played in pea gravel and sand:

And Break Time, where they bounced in a bouncy house. After that, the crew grabbed one of the goodie belts (just 77 cents each at Home Depot!):

Now at Alan's "work" party, there was no break time. The active four year old loves to build so his mom. Nancy, from the fab blog CohabiTOT, "built" a birthday bash that I'm sure he'll never forget.

See all those cardboard houses back there? That's what they looked like before Alan's construction crew got their hands on them. First, they donned their personalized hard hats and grabbed a laminated ruler.

Are you less of a DIY-er and more of a shopper? Then visit Dimpleprints for their Loads of Fun printable party package. Just $10 gets you the PDF files for more than 20 different party supplies.

Everything from water bottle labels to food signs are included. Just look at what Dimpleprints customers have done with their printables!

Another great option is the Paper & Cake Under Construction printable party pack. For $14, you'll get customizable PDF files for everything you need to print and cut your way to a builder's bash - invitations, thank you notes, a birthday banner, cupcake picks and so much more, like these yard posts:

Party hats:

Snack boxes and hamburger sleeves:

Cup wraps:

And a pin the nail on the hammer game:

Your party foreman will need something to wear, so why not visit AFOMFT fave Ashley Alexander Boutique for a personalized dump truck shirt?

And when it comes to favors, add the Dig It mini crayon rolls from My Sunshine Designs to the crew's tool belts.

I hope I've given you some great tools to build the perfect party. Before you head off to start, though, be sure to visit the Goodies Page for great giveaways including one from My Sunshine Designs, who you read about in this post, as well as some terrific discounts!

Welcome to A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!
I started this blog after I had my twin girls and became obsessed with discovering fun and unique products for them. Now I love sharing my finds with you!
From the cutest clothing and terrific toys to perfect parties and creative crafts, each day I post about my favorite things for babies, kids and the people who love them. I hope this blog will become one of YOUR favorite things very soon!

Alaina & Gabrielle

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